Hill panel seeking documents on Libya operations

WASHINGTON 
Lawmakers who believe President Barack Obama didn't properly consult with Congress before launching air strikes on Libya are pressing the Pentagon for documents and material on all communications.

The House Armed Services Committee, beginning a marathon session Wednesday to craft a $553 billion budget for the Defense Department next year, unanimously approved the measure seeking "any official document, record, memo, correspondence, or other communication of the Department of Defense .... that refers or relates to any consultation with Congress" on Libya.

Republicans and some Democrats have complained that Obama failed to consult with Congress before initiating the military operation to protect civilians from Moammar Gadhafi's forces in Libya. The administration and some Republican senators, including John McCain of Arizona, said the U.S. had to act quickly to avoid a massacre in Benghazi.

"Although select members were invited to a conference call during a constituent work week, immediately preceding the president's press conference, a phone call can hardly be considered significant consultation," Rep. Howard "Buck" McKeon, R-Calif, the panel chairman, said Wednesday.

On the agenda for the committee's day-into-night session were the pace of withdrawing forces from Afghanistan, gays in the military and the transfer of detainees from the military prison at Guantanamo. The first hours of the session focused on military aircraft, carrier ships and a request to the Navy for a timeline on reopening a trap and skeet shooting range at the Miramar Air Station in California.

Obama envisions cuts of $400 billion in defense over the next 12 years as the nation faces a fast-growing deficit. Lawmakers on the committee are resisting some of the cuts while imposing tougher scrutiny on the Pentagon's bookkeeping.

The defense blueprint takes a step toward reviving an extra engine for the next generation F-35 fighter plane despite objections from the administration and Defense Secretary Robert Gates that the engine is not needed.

The Pentagon recently notified General Electric/Rolls Royce that it had terminated its contract and work was stopped a month ago, saving $1 million a day. The company said last week it would spend its own money to build the engine.

The bill would force the Pentagon to reopen competition for the engine if defense officials have to ask Congress for more money so Pratt & Whitney can build the chosen design. The provision would apply to Pentagon spending in the next budget year.

Eighty House members - 41 Republicans and 39 Democrats - own stock in General Electric, according to the Center for Responsive Politics.

The committee went a step further in giving new life to the alternative engine, approving an amendment that would provide GE and Rolls Royce access to data on building the engine as the companies were using their own money. The amendment was approved on a 54-5 vote. Opponents of the extra engine vowed to renew their fight when the full House considers the defense bill, expected the week of May 23.

Days after U.S. commandos killed al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden, Rep. John Garamendi, D-Calif., said he would offer an amendment to accelerate the withdrawal of U.S. forces from Afghanistan. Under his measure, the number of troops would be reduced by 90 percent by the end of 2013.